In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
