Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a success.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the patience committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, momentum when batters responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
