Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling 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 lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, momentum when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
