In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
