In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Having a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when batters fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet value can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Different players delivered with key contributions. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters slipped away into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
