Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
