Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
