Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight 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 history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
