In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
