Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
