In a showcase on the upper level of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was seen as a triumph.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a balanced view, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The point being is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day 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 dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a defence of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by recognized players. 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 experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a non-event.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet value can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the death of the format at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The players protected him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to build on.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters departed into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
