Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
