Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the patience made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
