Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee 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 left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
