Within a showcase on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His show in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to create literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon external factors.
The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the blank slate on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, leading to a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the time made during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Certain variables are accepted more freely than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and responding effectively. The two highest individual scores were made by recognized batters. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Go and inform the supporters who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, thousands celebrated and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of Australian cricket.
There was belief as the bowlers excelled, momentum when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to each.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," commented a veteran. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the leader talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with crucial roles. These are baby steps, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but a starting point to develop from.
Ultimately, this triumph joins other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the field to commence their own enjoyment.
Savour the moment, lads. You've earned this one.
