Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
