In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink suit worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating because of the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when players fought back, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players performed with vital performances. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
