Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
