In a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is 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 the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
