Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
