In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
