In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
