Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
