In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
