In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
