In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
