Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
