Within a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a success.
You might not appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another short match of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the patience committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more freely than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class batters. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have suffered a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the smile to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
