In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting effectively. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
