Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
