In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a success.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
