Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
