Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink outfit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players 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 great game dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad protected him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
