Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
