Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create art or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet value can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the team gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
