Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
