Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip 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 slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
