Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince 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 festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
