In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
