In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
