Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
