Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
