In a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Certain variables are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the wicket and adapting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the history books.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. It's well deserved.
