Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
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 yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. 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 all the more thrilling because of the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
