Displayed inside a glass case on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," said a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The players responded for him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term success, but a starting point to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
