In a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
