In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
