Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a success.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
