Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. 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's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
