Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a triumph.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by recognized stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
