Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting owing to the investment made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when players responded, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
