In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
