In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, 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 literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
