Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
