In a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a triumph.
It's possible you like his music. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to craft art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so dictated by external factors.
The weather, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a justification of the pitch which produced a victory and the second two-day Test of the series.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is wide of the mark.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans made noise and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be found in them.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of the format at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad responded for him, bringing back the smile to his persona.
New faces stepped up with key contributions. These are baby steps, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the turf to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
