In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
