Displayed inside a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. His performance in front of a hundred thousand attendees was seen as a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to craft literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the pitch.
If the long game is a form of art, the strip is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test
The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the traditional sport taken to pieces and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the wicket which produced a victory and the another short match of the contest.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to numerous dismissals tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are particularly captivating due to the investment devoted elsewhere.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.
The contention in at the MCG was that the balance was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
The format is about problem solving – assessing the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged players. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have suffered years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
Among the crowd of the MCG, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order responded, and unconditional love when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that slow Test are polar opposites of the scale – neither ideal, yet value can be ascribed to each.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the memory.
"Far from being the death of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his back.
The team delivered for him, bringing back the joy to his persona.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a stunning sunset, the team congregated on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
