Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
