Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink outfit worn by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
