In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
