Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
