Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
