In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
