Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
