In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the time devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
