Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
