Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit worn by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
