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

In a display cabinet on the upper level of the Melbourne Cricket Ground sits a vibrant pink ensemble performed in by the entertainer. The concert in front of a massive crowd of attendees was hailed as a triumph.

It's possible you enjoy Robbie Williams. Maybe you feel he is the finest offering to music in history. You might take a middle ground, admitting that some songs are belting while others are terrible.

The central idea is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. Preferences differ. There is no universal formula to produce music or even Test cricket.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It is hard to think of another sport where the playing is so dictated by the environment.

The elements, the hour of play, the red ball – the factors are countless. Most important is the pitch.

If the format is art, the strip is the blank slate on which the athletes paint their masterpiece.

A Test of Cubism: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between the old rivals was Test cricket cubism, the established format taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.

This is not a defence of the surface which yielded a victory and the another short match of the series.

Leaving a thick layer on the pitch, causing numerous dismissals tumbling in less than two days, is not an even battle between offense and defense.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any idea this was a inferior show, one that should be footnoted as not a proper Test, is incorrect.

The format is a diverse canvas, 2,615 parts and counting. Sometimes, as seen at the MCG, the cricket ball moves excessively for the seamers. Sometimes, it turns square on a dry surface. Sometimes, the pitch is unresponsive, other times it spits like a cobra.

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

Adaptation: The True Test

Some factors are accepted more easily than others.

The argument in at the MCG was that the contest was skewed excessively towards the fielding side. That the best players were hindered from playing their natural game.

This level of cricket is about finding solutions – reading the wicket and adjusting accordingly. The top two individual scores were made by acknowledged stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus ended up second best.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the supporters who have experienced 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the ground, a sea of people made noise and chanted, producing a carnival vibe in a heartland of Australian cricket.

There was hope as the attack surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and unconditional love when the win was secured.

Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches

The MCG has a history with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a match there featured a strip with the character of a a damp squib.

That contest was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. This recent match and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the scale – both are not ideal, yet significance can be attached to them.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the collective consciousness.

"Far from being the end of the long game at all," commented a veteran. "The people who have been privileged to see these short time have been experienced some fantastic sport. Different entertainment."

Baby Steps: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this match, the captain addressed the media like a man carrying the weight of the world on his mind.

The team delivered for him, reinstating the joy to his persona.

Different players stepped up with vital performances. These are small positives, hardly enough to secure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.

Ultimately, this MCG win joins other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the fans slipped away into a glorious Melbourne evening, the squad assembled on the outfield to begin their own celebrations.

Celebrate the win, boys. This victory was hard-fought.