Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
You might not like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, 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.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
