Within a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
