Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
