Within a glass case on the upper level of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
