In a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
