Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
