In a display cabinet on the third floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was hailed as a success.
You might not like his music. You might think he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some songs are excellent while others are awful.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create art or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Long Game
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reconstructed in abstract form.
This is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a win and the another short match of the series.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the wicket, leading to numerous dismissals being taken in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and still growing. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the fast men. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are particularly captivating because of the time committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The Real Challenge
Specific conditions are tolerated more readily than others.
The debate in during the match was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the situation and responding accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by world-class players. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus were defeated.
Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective
Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, a sea of people made noise and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a heartland of sport.
There was optimism as the bowlers dominated, impetus when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the victory was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Range of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a match there featured a strip with the excitement of a pulled Christmas cracker.
That match was a marathon, with few wickets and endless boredom. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be attached to both.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will live longest in the collective consciousness.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," commented a former player. "The people who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the skipper spoke like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
Different players stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team assembled on the turf to start their own festivities.
Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.
