Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
