In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
