Within a glass case on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, boys. You've earned this one.
