Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the investment made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Fans 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 lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
