'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Shortened Test Remained Every Bit a Authentic Cricket Test.

Within a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a neon pink ensemble donned by Robbie Williams. The performance in front of a massive crowd of attendees was seen as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't appreciate his music. You might think he is the ultimate present to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a middle ground, acknowledging that some hits are fantastic while others are poor.

The key argument is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. You like what you like. There is not a single method to create music or even the longest format.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by conditions.

The weather, the time of day, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Above all is the pitch.

If Test cricket is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the blank slate on which the players paint their masterpiece.

An Abstract Contest: The Fourth Test

The recent Melbourne match between Australia and England was Test cricket cubism, the established format broken apart and reconstructed in an unusual manner.

This is not a justification of the wicket which yielded a triumph and the second two-day Test of the Ashes battle.

Allowing a thick layer on the surface, causing numerous dismissals falling in less than six sessions, is not a balanced duel between bat and ball.

A Varied History: The Core of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as inauthentic, is incorrect.

Test cricket is a varied portfolio, over two thousand matches and still growing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a dust bowl. At other venues, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it explodes.

The exciting finishes are all the more thrilling because of the patience devoted elsewhere.

Adaptation: The True Test

Some factors are tolerated more readily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were unable from playing their natural game.

The format is about problem solving – interpreting the situation and adapting accordingly. The best individual innings were made by acknowledged batters. One side committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Pure Elation: The Fan Perspective

Try telling the devotees who have experienced years of defeat that this was not entertaining.

In a corner of the stadium, a sea of people celebrated and chanted, producing a festive mood in a bastion of sport.

There was belief as the fielding side excelled, momentum when batters scored quickly, and rapturous celebration when the victory was confirmed.

Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has form with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the excitement of a a non-event.

That match was a marathon, with minimal action and interminable tedium. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the spectrum – both are not perfect, yet significance can be attached to them.

Deep into the series into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will be most remembered in the memory.

"Far from being the death of Test cricket at all," said a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been treated to some genuine drama. A unique show."

Signs of Progress: Building for the Future

In the lead-in to this match, the leader talked like a man carrying the heavy burden on his mind.

The team protected him, reinstating the smile to his face.

New faces stepped up with crucial roles. These are incremental gains, not nearly enough to secure long-term futures, but something to develop from.

Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in dead rubbers.

As the crowd left into a beautiful night, the squad congregated on the outfield to start their own celebrations.

Enjoy the drink, lads. You've earned this one.