Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the pop star. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
