Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit worn by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
