In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: 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 format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure 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 meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
