Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink suit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
