Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core 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 long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
