In a glass case on the upper level of the MCG rests a vibrant pink suit worn by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
