In a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
