Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.