Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, impetus when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
