Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
