Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
