In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
