In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
