Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by Robbie Williams. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
