In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
