Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
