In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
