Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the time devoted in other matches.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, impetus when players responded, and unconditional love when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
