Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the squad gathered on the turf to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
