In a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium rests a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is art, the wicket is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the wicket which resulted in a win and the another short match of the series.
Having excessive grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Specific conditions are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the top batters were prevented from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, fostering a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a Test there featured a wicket with the character of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the history books.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The players responded for him, bringing back the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players congregated on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
