Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
