In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack surged, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
