In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
