Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
