Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit donned by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand spectators was considered a major hit.
You might not like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The point being is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to craft art or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the pitch, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the patience made during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Certain variables are tolerated more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the fielding side. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
The format is about adapting to challenges – reading the situation and adjusting effectively. The top two individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have suffered 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the bowlers excelled, impetus when players fought back, and unconditional love when the victory was confirmed.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are diametrically opposed points of the scale – neither the standard, yet historical weight can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "Fans who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the lead-in to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his back.
The team delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to ensure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other historic performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the players gathered on the field to start their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. It's well deserved.
