In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
