'Was That Not a Show?' Why a Two-Day Fixture Deserved Its Status as a Proper Test.

In a showcase on the elevated floor of the Melbourne Cricket Ground is housed a neon pink ensemble worn by Robbie Williams. The concert in front of 100,024 attendees was considered a success.

You might not enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.

The central idea is that entertainment can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft literature or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

The five-day game boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.

The weather, the session, the red ball – the list is endless. Above all is the wicket.

If Test cricket is a form of art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was the game deconstructed, the great game dismantled and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

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

Leaving excessive grass on the surface, resulting in a cascade of wickets falling in less than a brief period, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Diverse Legacy: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be marked with an asterisk as illegitimate, is incorrect.

The long game is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. At times, as witnessed recently, the cricket ball does all sorts for the seamers. Sometimes, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is dead, other times it spits like a cobra.

The close matches are all the more thrilling owing to the investment made elsewhere.

Adaptation: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more freely than others.

The argument in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was tipped too far towards the attack. That the best players were unable from showcasing their talents.

The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual scores were made by world-class batters. One team was less disciplined than the other, and thus lost.

Pure Elation: For Those Who Waited

Attempt to convince the fans who have experienced years of defeat that this lacked spectacle.

In one section of the MCG, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, fostering a carnival vibe in a bastion of Australian cricket.

There was optimism as the fielding side excelled, advantage when batters fought back, and pure joy when the result was secured.

Polar Opposites: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has a history with pitch problems. Previously, a Test there featured a strip with all the life of a a non-event.

That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – neither the standard, yet value can be attached to them.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will be most remembered in the memory.

"It's not the death of the long game at all," observed a veteran. "The people who have been fortunate to see these 48 hours have been treated to some fantastic sport. An unusual spectacle."

Signs of Progress: A Glimmer of Hope

In the lead-in to this Test, the skipper talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his shoulders.

The squad responded for him, restoring the smile to his persona.

Different players delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other historic performances in dead rubbers.

As the supporters departed into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players congregated on the field to start their own festivities.

Celebrate the win, boys. It's well deserved.