Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
