Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
