In a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit worn by the pop star. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
