In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
