In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core 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 wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
