In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed 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 reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
