In a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a success.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, 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 resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
