In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
