In a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets 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 attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
