Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
