In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
