Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a success.
You might not like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team delivered for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
