Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a major hit.
Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even Test cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of Test Cricket
The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the playing surface.
If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the strip is the blank slate on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Broken-Down Battle: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in numerous dismissals being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
Test cricket is a rich tapestry, 2,615 parts and counting. At times, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the investment committed in other matches.
Adjustment: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are embraced more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the contest was tipped too far towards the attack. That the top batters were hindered from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The best individual contributions were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the supporters who have suffered a long drought that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the MCG, countless fans waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a carnival vibe in a stronghold of national pride.
There was hope as the attack surged, advantage when batters scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was confirmed.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the demise of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been given some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The squad protected him, restoring the joy to his countenance.
New faces delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term success, but a starting point to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad gathered on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
