In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
