Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
