Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
