Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
