In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, 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. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
