In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music 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 outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
