Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be found in them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
