In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
