Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a success.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
