Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet value can be found in them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
