In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
