Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
