Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players responded, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, 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 former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
