In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the pitch which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the time made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the attack dominated, advantage when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – one is not more ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
