Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
