In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
