Displayed inside a showcase on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand attendees was hailed as a major hit.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are belting while others are awful.
The key argument is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which produced a triumph and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, leading to 36 wickets being taken in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are even more exciting because of the investment devoted in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were prevented from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual innings were made by world-class players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands made noise and sang their songs, generating a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.
There was hope as the attack excelled, advantage when players fought back, and pure joy when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. The latest encounter and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Fans who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph joins other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
