In a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
