Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
