Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
