Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
