Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
