Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
