Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
