Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the investment made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
