Within a showcase on the upper level of the MCG sits a neon pink suit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create art or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the great game taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Leaving a thick layer on the surface, leading to 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed in other matches.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were prevented from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans celebrated and chanted, generating a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.
