Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
