Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not 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 be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
