Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
