Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit worn by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs 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 craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
