Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
