Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be attached to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
