Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.