Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
