Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
This is not a justification of the pitch which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The best individual contributions were made by recognized stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has form with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the history books.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the joy to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
