In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
