Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
