In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a success.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when players responded, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – neither ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
