In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
