Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit worn by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
