Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the situation and responding effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
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, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
