Displayed inside a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
