Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
