Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
