Within a glass case on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game 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 cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
