Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the list is endless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
