Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack excelled, momentum when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. It's well deserved.
