In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
