Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
