Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
