Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
You might not like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series 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 long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
