Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
