In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
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 back.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
