In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
