Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink outfit worn by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The best individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
