Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
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 batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
