In a glass case on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
