Within a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the time made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
