Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG rests a electric pink suit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent 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 produce literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators 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 preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
