Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
