In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
