Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.