Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
