Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. The show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. You might take a balanced view, conceding that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft music or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals falling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating owing to the patience made elsewhere.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adapting accordingly. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, momentum when the top order responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That fixture was a grind, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
