Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit worn by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals 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 wicket which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
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 team protected him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
