Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
