In a glass case on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
