Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
