Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. 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. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
