In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual innings were made by world-class batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
