In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not enjoy his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reconstructed in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which produced a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by world-class stars. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
