Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a success.
You might not like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class 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 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
