In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
