In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
