In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
