In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a major hit.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
