Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest 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 illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
