Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
