In a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
