In a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
