Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
