In a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
