Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
