In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
