Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
