Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which produced a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, resulting in numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting owing to the time committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adapting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be attached to each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the smile to his face.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the field to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
