In a display cabinet on the third floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a neon pink outfit performed in by the entertainer. His concert in front of 100,024 fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Or you could adopt a middle ground, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are poor.
The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Tastes vary. There is not a single method to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon conditions.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the pitch.
If the long game is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The MCG Match
The Boxing Day fixture between the old rivals was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and stuck back together in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the surface which yielded a triumph and the another short match of the series.
Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets falling in less than six sessions, is not an even battle between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion this was a inferior show, one that should be qualified as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a varied portfolio, a long history and still growing. On occasion, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are particularly captivating owing to the investment committed elsewhere.
Adjustment: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from playing their natural game.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adapting effectively. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One line-up was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Go and inform the devotees who have experienced a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the ground, thousands waved their flags and created an atmosphere, producing a party atmosphere in a stronghold of sport.
There was belief as the fielding side surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. Eight years ago, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a damp squib.
That match was a slog, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the scale – both are not perfect, yet historical weight can be ascribed to both.
At this stage into the current series, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of the long game at all," said a former player. "Fans who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some real entertainment. A unique show."
Small Victories: 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 players protected him, restoring the joy to his persona.
Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are baby steps, not nearly enough to secure long-term success, but something to develop from.
At the very least, this triumph is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the crowd departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the outfield to start their own enjoyment.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.
