Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
