In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant 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. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, 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 illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the patience committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
