Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
