In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
