Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
