In a showcase on the upper level of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a electric pink suit donned by the entertainer. The concert in front of a massive crowd of spectators was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Perhaps you believe he is the ultimate present to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are belting while others are awful.
The central idea is that enjoyment 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
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so reliant upon the environment.
The weather, the hour of play, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers create their art.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Fourth Test
The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the another short match of the contest.
Having 10mm of grass on the wicket, causing 36 wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.
Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Other times, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the investment committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The contention in during the match was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual innings were made by recognized batters. One line-up made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: The Supporters' View
Try telling the fans who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, generating a festive mood in a stronghold of sport.
There was optimism as the attack dominated, impetus when the top order scored quickly, and pure joy when the result was secured.
Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The venue has form with difficult wickets. In the past, a match there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with minimal action and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that drawn affair are diametrically opposed points of the spectrum – one is not more perfect, yet significance can be ascribed to them.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been given some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: A Glimmer of Hope
In the build-up to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
The squad responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.
New faces stepped up with vital performances. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this triumph takes its place among other memorable performances in dead rubbers.
As the fans left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to begin their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, men. This victory was hard-fought.
