Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the field to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
