Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet value can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters slipped away into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
