Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more ideal, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
