Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
