In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
