Within a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be found in each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
