Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle 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 not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
