Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
