Within a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a success.
You might not like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.