Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
