Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
