In a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the investment made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
