In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
