Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
