In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
