Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
