Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink ensemble donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to create music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport 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 triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about finding solutions – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the turf to begin their own festivities.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
