In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
