In a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, 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 wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
