Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
