In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate Robbie Williams. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
