Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
