Within a showcase on the third floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. The performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a major hit.
You might not like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music in history. You might take a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport dismantled and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Rich Tapestry: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the time made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was belief as the bowlers surged, momentum when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to them.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the memory.
"Far from being the end of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The players responded for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to guarantee long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
