In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
