Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit worn by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
