In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer 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 idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
