Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
