Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by world-class players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
