Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
