Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
