Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the attack dominated, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with controversial surfaces. In the past, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the end of the format at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team protected him, restoring the smile to his persona.
New faces performed with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a starting point to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad congregated on the field to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.
