Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
