Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG rests a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the pop star. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the time committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
