Within a display cabinet on the third floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium is housed a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The show in front of 100,024 fans was considered a major hit.
It's possible you appreciate his music. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some tracks are fantastic while others are terrible.
The key argument is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is no one way to produce music or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by external factors.
The climate, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players create their art.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.
Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which resulted in a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, leading to a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are particularly captivating because of the patience committed during quieter periods.
Adaptation: The True Test
Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
The format is about finding solutions – reading the situation and responding effectively. The best individual contributions were made by acknowledged stars. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Attempt to convince the devotees who have experienced 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In a corner of the MCG, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of national pride.
There was optimism as the fielding side dominated, advantage when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That contest was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these short time have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.
The players delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his face.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but something to use as a platform.
Ultimately, this MCG win joins other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
