Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
You might not enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing a thick layer on the surface, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core 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 still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating due to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting effectively. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not ideal, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. This victory was hard-fought.
