Within a glass case on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a triumph.
You might not appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The best individual innings were made by world-class players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
New faces delivered with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
