Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
