Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
