Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core 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.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
