Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit donned by Robbie Williams. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
