Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters responded, and unconditional love when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
