Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply 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 because of the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "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 lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
