Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack surged, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
