Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
