In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 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 Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, impetus when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the field to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
