Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
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 not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
