Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
