In a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The long game is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the range – neither perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
