In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
