In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
