Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format 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 turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
