Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
