Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, 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 illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
