In a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. 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 due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
