Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
