Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was hailed as a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and responding appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, thousands made noise and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
