Within a glass case on the third floor of the MCG is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a reasonable stance, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling due to the patience made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and responding appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and created an atmosphere, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. This recent match and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the skipper addressed the media like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.