Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
