In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
