Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
