Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the attack surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
