Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
