Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are belting while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, over two thousand matches and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, momentum when batters responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
