Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
