Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
