Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was seen as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the surface which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet value can be found in both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The players protected him, bringing back the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
