In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience made in other matches.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with the character of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the players assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
