Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you like his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
