Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
