Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, momentum when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch 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 slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
