Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
