Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink outfit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the investment made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
