In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day 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 playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
