Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the investment made in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
