Within a glass case on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink suit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.
You might not like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
