In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
