In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, 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," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
