Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
