Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
