Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.