In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
