Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack surged, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
