In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
