Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
