Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
