Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
