Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
