Within a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
