Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the investment made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
