Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not like the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
