Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it spins sharply on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the result was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
