Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
