In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. 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 patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
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 Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
