Within a glass case on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature 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 varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the investment 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 balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
