In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
