Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
