In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the investment made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
