Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting due to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
