Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
