In a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the pop star. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, momentum when batters fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
