Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music in history. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to create literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the surface which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it explodes.
The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling owing to the time committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and adjusting effectively. The top two individual innings were made by world-class stars. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, a sea of people celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the history books.
"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players delivered for him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
