Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
