Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
