In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
