In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
