In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
