Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
