Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
