Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
