In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
