Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
