In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack surged, impetus when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the long game at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players protected him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
