Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
