Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, momentum when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
