Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team protected him, reinstating the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
