Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
