In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – neither ideal, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
