Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by the pop star. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, thousands made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
