Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
