Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
