In a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
