Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square 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 because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
