Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
