In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
