In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The team responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
