In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: 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 long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
