Displayed inside a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a electric pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the patience devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Specific conditions are tolerated more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by acknowledged players. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the stadium, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was belief as the attack surged, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – neither ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. You've earned this one.
