Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
