In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a success.
It's possible you enjoy his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
