Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
