In a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
You might not like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
