Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be found in each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
