Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent 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 create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
