In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the surface which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side surged, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be found in each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players assembled on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.
