Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
