Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
