In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink suit worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion 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, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
