Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink outfit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the surface which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet value can be found in them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
