In a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
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 players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
