In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts 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 explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
