In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
