Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating owing to the investment made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet value can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
