Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns 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 even more exciting owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
