In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a success.
You might not like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, 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 spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
