Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a triumph.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
