Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
