Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
