Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the investment made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
