In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
