In a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit worn by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
