Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
