In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a success.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience devoted during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and responding effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
