In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
You might not appreciate his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
