Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
