Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
