Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
