Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
