In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
