Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel 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 inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the patience made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
