In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink outfit worn by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
