Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and responding accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet value can be found in them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
