Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, advantage when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
