'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Two-Day Test Deserved Its Status as a Authentic Test Match.

Within a glass case on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a vibrant pink suit performed in by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 fans was hailed as a triumph.

It's possible you like his music. Perhaps you believe he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a reasonable stance, admitting that some songs are excellent while others are poor.

The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. Tastes vary. There is no universal formula to craft art 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 playing is so dictated by conditions.

The weather, the hour of play, the red ball – the variables are numerous. Most important is the wicket.

If the long game is a form of art, the wicket is the canvas on which the cricketers craft their legacy.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game broken apart and reassembled in a bizarre shape.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the surface which resulted in a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.

Leaving a thick layer on the surface, causing 36 wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is wide of the mark.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball behaves unpredictably for the pace bowlers. Other times, it turns square on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is dead, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling due to the investment devoted elsewhere.

Adjustment: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The argument in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the best players were hindered from showcasing their talents.

This level of cricket is about adapting to challenges – interpreting the situation and responding appropriately. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged batters. One side was less disciplined than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: The Fan Perspective

Go and inform the supporters who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

In a corner of the MCG, thousands celebrated and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a heartland of sport.

There was optimism as the attack excelled, impetus when batters responded, and rapturous celebration when the win was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches

The Melbourne has form with controversial surfaces. In the past, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.

That fixture was a marathon, with minimal action and slow play. This recent match and that slow Test are extreme ends of the scale – neither ideal, yet historical weight can be found in each.

At this stage into the ongoing battle, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the collective consciousness.

"It's not the end of Test cricket at all," said a veteran. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these two days have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

In the build-up to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the weight of the world on his back.

The players responded for him, restoring the positive demeanor to his persona.

New faces performed with key contributions. These are small positives, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.

Ultimately, this Melbourne victory takes its place among other notable performances in similar circumstances.

As the crowd departed into a stunning sunset, the squad assembled on the turf to begin their own festivities.

Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.