Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
