Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a major hit.
You might not like Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the another short match of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
