Displayed inside a glass case on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. The performance in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are terrible.
The central idea is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is no one way to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the strip is the canvas on which the athletes craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.
The long game is a varied portfolio, 2,615 parts and ongoing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.
The thrillers are even more exciting due to the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was skewed excessively towards the attack. That the top batters were prevented from playing their natural game.
This level of cricket is about problem solving – reading the wicket and adapting appropriately. The top two individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Sheer Celebration: The Supporters' View
Attempt to convince the fans who have endured years of defeat that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands made noise and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a heartland of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side dominated, impetus when players responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a grind, with few wickets and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet value can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the history books.
"This isn't the end of Test cricket at all," observed a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Signs of Progress: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The squad responded for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.
Different players performed with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to ensure long-term success, but something to build on.
At the very least, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd slipped away into a stunning sunset, the team assembled on the field to begin their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, men. This victory was hard-fought.
