In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a electric pink outfit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to create art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on the environment.
The elements, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
This is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and adapting effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a carnival vibe in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the range – both are not ideal, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Fans who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to build on.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
