Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
