In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not enjoy the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
