In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
