Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, 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 due to the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
