In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
