Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
