In a display cabinet on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and responding appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
