Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
