In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
