Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals 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 endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the patience made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be found in each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
