In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. 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. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
