Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
