Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
