In a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
