In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
