Within a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, 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 during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
