In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
