In a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
