In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification 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, resulting in a cascade of 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 lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format 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: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
