In a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a win and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
