Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
