In a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
