In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
