Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
