Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
