Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
