Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
