Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when players responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
