In a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
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 illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
