Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
