Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
