In a display cabinet on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
