Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
