Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
