Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
