'Was That Not a Show?' The Reason a Shortened Test Was No Less a Authentic Cricket Test.

Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink ensemble worn by the entertainer. His performance in front of a massive crowd of fans was considered a triumph.

Perhaps you don't enjoy his music. You might think he is the greatest gift to music known to man. You might take a balanced view, admitting that some songs are belting while others are poor.

The key argument is that amusement can manifest in countless ways. You like what you like. There is no universal formula to produce art or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of The Test Format

The traditional format boasts unrivalled depth. It's difficult to think of another sport where the playing is so reliant upon external factors.

The climate, the session, the ball – the factors are countless. Crucially is the pitch.

If the long game is an artistic pursuit, the pitch is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the established format broken apart and reassembled in abstract form.

Let's be clear, this isn't a defence of the wicket which yielded a win and the second two-day Test of the contest.

Leaving excessive grass on the pitch, causing a cascade of wickets tumbling in less than six sessions, is not a fair contest between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Nature of Test Cricket

But any notion this was a diminished spectacle, one that should be footnoted as illegitimate, is incorrect.

Test cricket is a diverse canvas, a long history and counting. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the cricket ball moves excessively for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a spinning track. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are particularly captivating due to the investment committed during quieter periods.

Adaptation: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are tolerated more easily than others.

The contention in Melbourne was that the contest was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the top batters were unable from demonstrating their skill.

The format is about problem solving – reading the situation and adjusting appropriately. The top two individual innings were made by recognized stars. One team committed more errors than the other, and thus were defeated.

Sheer Celebration: For Those Who Waited

Go and inform the devotees who have suffered 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.

Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans celebrated and created an atmosphere, fostering a party atmosphere in a heartland of national pride.

There was optimism as the attack excelled, advantage when the top order fought back, and unconditional love when the win was confirmed.

Contrasting Examples: The Spectrum of Test Matches

The Melbourne has a history with controversial surfaces. Previously, a game there featured a wicket with the character of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That match was a grind, with minimal action and endless boredom. The two-day game and that drawn affair are extreme ends of the range – one is not more the standard, yet significance can be attached to each.

Four Tests into the Ashes contest, it is the two-day matches that will be most remembered in the memory.

"It's not the death of Test cricket at all," commented a past champion. "The people who have been privileged to see these two days have been treated to some genuine drama. An unusual spectacle."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

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

The team responded for him, restoring the joy to his face.

Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, hardly enough to ensure long-term futures, but a foundation to use as a platform.

At the very least, this Melbourne victory is added to other notable performances in meaningless games.

As the crowd left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the players gathered on the outfield to commence their own enjoyment.

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