Within a glass case on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a triumph.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, advantage when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
