Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
