In a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither the standard, yet value can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
