In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.
It's possible you like the performer. Maybe you feel he is the ultimate present to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, admitting that some songs are fantastic while others are terrible.
The point being is that enjoyment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce art or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon conditions.
The weather, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the playing surface.
If Test cricket is art, the pitch is the foundation on which the players create their art.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was an abstract version of cricket, the traditional sport dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the another sub-three-day finish of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and ongoing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment made elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The Core Skill
Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.
The contention in during the match was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were prevented from showcasing their talents.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the situation and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by world-class stars. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the devotees who have endured years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.
In a corner of the ground, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was belief as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters responded, and pure joy when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches
The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that previous match are diametrically opposed points of the range – one is not more perfect, yet historical weight can be found in them.
Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will remain iconic in the memory.
"This isn't the death of Test cricket at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been given some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Baby Steps: A Glimmer of Hope
In the lead-in to this match, the leader spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The team responded for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.
Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term success, but a foundation to use as a platform.
In the end, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in similar circumstances.
As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, lads. It's well deserved.
