Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. 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 endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
