Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, 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 because of the time committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be found in each.
At this stage 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 past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
