Within a showcase on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by the pop star. His performance in front of 100,024 attendees was seen as a major hit.
You might not appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, acknowledging that some tracks are belting while others are terrible.
The central idea is that amusement can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even the longest format.
The Incomparable Variety of The Test Format
Test cricket boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the outcome is so dependent on conditions.
The elements, the hour of play, the ball – the variables are numerous. Crucially is the wicket.
If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the foundation on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was an abstract version of cricket, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.
It must be stated this is not a endorsement of the pitch which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing 10mm of grass on the surface, leading to 36 wickets tumbling in less than a brief period, is not a fair contest between bat and ball.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any suggestion 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. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.
The close matches are all the more thrilling because of the patience committed elsewhere.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more freely than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the balance was tipped too far towards the fielding side. That the best players were prevented from showcasing their talents.
The format is about problem solving – reading the conditions and responding appropriately. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class players. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus lost.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.
In a corner of the ground, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, generating a party atmosphere in a bastion of national pride.
There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when batters scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The Melbourne has a history with difficult wickets. Previously, a game there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither the standard, yet significance can be ascribed to each.
Deep into the series into the ongoing battle, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.
"Far from being the end of the format at all," observed a former player. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been experienced some real entertainment. An unusual spectacle."
Baby Steps: Looking Ahead
In the build-up to this match, the captain talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The players protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Emerging talents stepped up with key contributions. These are incremental gains, hardly enough to ensure long-term stability, but something to develop from.
In the end, this triumph is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a beautiful night, the squad assembled on the field to commence their own festivities.
Enjoy the drink, boys. You've earned this one.
