In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit worn by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
