Within a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground rests a neon pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. His show in front of a massive crowd of attendees was considered a triumph.
Perhaps you don't enjoy the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are awful.
The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to produce music or even the longest format.
The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format
The traditional format boasts peerless complexity. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the time of day, the ball – the variables are numerous. Above all is the wicket.
If Test cricket is art, the wicket is the canvas on which the players craft their legacy.
A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reassembled in an unusual manner.
This is not a endorsement of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the Ashes battle.
Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between offense and defense.
A Diverse Legacy: The Nature of Test Cricket
But any notion this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.
The format is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and counting. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.
The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the time committed during quieter periods.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Some factors are embraced more readily than others.
The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were unable from showcasing their talents.
Test cricket is about finding solutions – interpreting the wicket and adapting accordingly. The two highest individual innings were made by recognized players. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective
Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.
Among the crowd of the stadium, countless fans celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a party atmosphere in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the bowlers dominated, advantage when players responded, and unconditional love when the result was secured.
Extreme Ends: The Spectrum of Test Matches
The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a Test there featured a pitch with all the life of a a non-event.
That match was a slog, with limited drama and interminable tedium. The latest encounter and that drawn affair are polar opposites of the spectrum – one is not more ideal, yet significance can be attached to each.
At this stage into the current series, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.
"It's not the demise of the format at all," commented a past champion. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the build-up to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.
The squad delivered for him, restoring the smile to his face.
New faces performed with vital performances. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.
At the very least, this MCG win joins other notable performances in meaningless games.
As the supporters left into a beautiful night, the team assembled on the turf to commence their own celebrations.
Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.
