Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
