In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
