Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
