Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a success.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when players fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not 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 be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
