In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
