Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. 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 tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
