In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a balanced view, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are awful.
The key argument is that amusement can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to create music or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the canvas on which the players create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the surface which resulted in a win and the second two-day Test of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the top batters were hindered from showcasing their talents.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the conditions and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the supporters who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the ground, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other notable performances in similar circumstances.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, lads. It's well deserved.
