In a glass case on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit donned by the entertainer. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a triumph.
It's possible you appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that amusement can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no one way to produce music or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the session, the ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Fourth Test
The fourth Ashes Test between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the traditional sport broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which resulted in a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving 10mm of grass on the surface, causing numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as inauthentic, is incorrect.
The long game is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and ongoing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time devoted in other matches.
Adaptation: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the top batters were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the wicket and responding accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by recognized players. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured a long drought that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and chanted, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was hope as the fielding side surged, impetus when batters responded, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.
Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a Test there featured a strip with the excitement of a a damp squib.
That contest was a grind, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be found in both.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"This isn't the end of the long game at all," said a former player. "Spectators who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the lead-in to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a foundation to develop from.
Ultimately, this MCG win takes its place among other notable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. This victory was hard-fought.
