Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
