Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far 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 wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
