In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the investment made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
