In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
