Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature 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 playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad protected him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his persona.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
