Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think 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 poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
