Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment made in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
