In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, momentum when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
