In a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which produced a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
