In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
