Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
