Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
