Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
