In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
