In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
