Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the long game at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
