In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
