In a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be found in them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
