In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, 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 scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
