Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
