Within a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth 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 external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
