In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of fans was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
