Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers surged, momentum when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety 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 pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
