In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was seen as a triumph.
You might not like his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another short match of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – neither perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
