In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
