In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the patience committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
