Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
