Displayed inside a glass case 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 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
