Displayed inside a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a electric pink suit performed in by the pop star. The concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are poor.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the time of day, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a defence of the pitch which resulted in a victory and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, causing 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The format is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are accepted more easily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, a sea of people made noise and sang their songs, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of sport.
There was belief as the attack excelled, impetus when the top order fought back, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the range – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be found in each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
Emerging talents stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the team gathered on the turf to commence their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
