In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
