'Are You Not Entertained?' The Reason a 48-Hour Match Deserved Its Status as a Genuine Test Match.
In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a neon pink suit worn by the entertainer. The concert in front of 100,024 spectators was considered a success.
You might not appreciate the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Alternatively, you may hold a balanced view, acknowledging that some songs are excellent while others are poor.
The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is no one way to craft art or even five-day cricket.
The Unrivalled Depth of The Test Format
The five-day game boasts peerless complexity. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.
The weather, the session, the cricket ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the playing surface.
If the format is art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.
A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle
The fourth Ashes Test between the two sides was Test cricket cubism, the great game dismantled and stuck back together in an unusual manner.
Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which produced a win and the another sub-three-day finish of the contest.
Having excessive grass on the wicket, causing a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, 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 mistaken.
The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.
The close matches are all the more thrilling due to the investment committed in other matches.
Problem Solving: The True Test
Certain variables are tolerated more easily than others.
The debate in Melbourne was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the skilled individuals were unable from demonstrating their skill.
Test cricket is about adapting to challenges – assessing the conditions and adapting appropriately. The best individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus ended up second best.
Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited
Attempt to convince the fans who have suffered a long drought that this wasn't compelling.
Among the crowd of the stadium, thousands waved their flags and chanted, fostering a party atmosphere in a bastion of sport.
There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, momentum when the top order responded, and rapturous celebration when the victory was secured.
Polar Opposites: The Variety of Test Matches
The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Previously, a match there featured a pitch with the excitement of a a non-event.
That match was a grind, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the range – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be found in each.
Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.
"Far from being the demise of the format at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been treated to some fantastic sport. A unique show."
Signs of Progress: Looking Ahead
In the preparation to this Test, the leader spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his mind.
The players protected him, restoring the smile to his countenance.
New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term stability, but something to use as a platform.
In the end, this MCG win takes its place among other memorable performances in meaningless games.
As the fans departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the turf to start their own celebrations.
Enjoy the drink, men. You've earned this one.