Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
