Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit worn by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – both are not ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
