In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink outfit worn by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a success.
You might not enjoy the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are terrible.
The point being is that entertainment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The elements, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the foundation on which the athletes craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in abstract form.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.
Leaving excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and ongoing. At times, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the situation and adjusting appropriately. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players responded, and pure joy when the victory was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The venue has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests 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 past champion. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team protected him, bringing back the positive demeanor to his face.
New faces delivered with vital performances. These are baby steps, hardly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
In the end, this Melbourne victory joins other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the fans departed into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the field to commence their own festivities.
Savour the moment, men. You've earned this one.
