In a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
