Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
