In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
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 hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle 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 illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
