Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit worn by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
