Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest 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 incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and responding accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
