Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a major hit.
It's possible you like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment 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 traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: 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, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
