Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
