Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence 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 wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
