Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention 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 finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack surged, momentum when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
