Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
