Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
