Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, resulting in a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the situation and adjusting effectively. The best individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One line-up committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when batters fought back, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in each.
At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans left into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. It's well deserved.
