Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
