Displayed inside a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the surface which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the time made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and responding effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
