Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
