Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a success.
It's possible you like the performer. You might think he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Most important is the pitch.
If the format is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving a thick layer on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, producing a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players fought back, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a slog, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the format at all," said a former player. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
In the end, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team congregated on the turf to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
