Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
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 inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
