In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
