Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink ensemble worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time made in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.