In a glass case on the elevated floor of the iconic Melbourne stadium sits a vibrant pink suit worn by the pop star. His concert in front of a hundred thousand fans was considered a success.
Perhaps you don't appreciate the performer. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music the world has ever seen. You might take a middle ground, conceding that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce literature or even five-day cricket.
The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game
Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the outcome is so dictated by the environment.
The climate, the session, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.
An Abstract Contest: The MCG Match
The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the established format dismantled and reassembled in an unusual manner.
It must be stated this is not a justification of the surface which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the surface, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.
A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket
But any idea this was a lesser event, one that should be marked with an asterisk as not a proper Test, is mistaken.
The long game is a diverse canvas, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. In contrast, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.
The close matches are even more exciting because of the time devoted elsewhere.
Adaptation: The Core Skill
Some factors are embraced more easily than others.
The debate in at the MCG was that the balance was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the skilled individuals were hindered from demonstrating their skill.
This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and responding accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.
Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited
Try telling the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
In one section of the stadium, thousands celebrated and created an atmosphere, producing a festive mood in a stronghold of Australian cricket.
There was hope as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the result was achieved.
Extreme Ends: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a game there featured a strip with the excitement of a a non-event.
That fixture was a slog, with limited drama and slow play. The latest encounter and that previous match are extreme ends of the spectrum – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in them.
Four Tests into the current series, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"It's not the demise of Test cricket at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these two days have been experienced some real entertainment. Different entertainment."
Small Victories: Building for the Future
In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.
The squad protected him, reinstating the joy to his countenance.
Different players performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term stability, but something to build on.
Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.
As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the team congregated on the turf to begin their own enjoyment.
Celebrate the win, lads. You've earned this one.
