In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
