Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
