Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
