In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
