In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
