Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, 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 qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
