In a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a vibrant pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so dependent on conditions.
The climate, the time of day, the cricket ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the wicket.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having a thick layer on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the seamers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Core Skill
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and adapting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and chanted, fostering a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, advantage when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a grind, with minimal action and slow play. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the scale – both are not the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to them.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the history books.
"Far from being the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this Test, the captain spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his face.
Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad gathered on the outfield to start their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, boys. It's well deserved.
