Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
