Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you like his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
