Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
