Displayed inside a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety 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 elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
