In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.