Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by Robbie Williams. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
