In a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
