Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't 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 poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
