Within a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
