Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
