In a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG sits a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format dismantled and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are accepted more readily than others.
The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting effectively. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the devotees who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a pitch with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with few wickets and slow play. The two-day game and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet value can be ascribed to both.
Deep into the series into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the smile to his persona.
Different players delivered with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to build on.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory is added to other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
