In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the field to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
