Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his face.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
