Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
