Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a win and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither the standard, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
