Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
