'Are You Not Entertained?' Why a 48-Hour Match Remained Every Bit a Proper Test.

Within a display cabinet on the elevated floor of the MCG rests a electric pink outfit donned by the pop star. His performance in front of a hundred thousand fans was seen as a major hit.

Perhaps you don't like the performer. You might think he is the greatest gift to music in history. Alternatively, you may hold a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.

The point being is that entertainment can take many forms. You like what you like. There is not a single method to produce music or even the longest format.

The Incomparable Variety of The Long Game

The five-day game boasts incomparable variety. One struggles to think of another sport where the playing is so dependent on conditions.

The elements, the session, the cricket ball – the list is endless. Most important is the playing surface.

If the format is an artistic pursuit, the wicket is the canvas on which the athletes create their art.

An Abstract Contest: The Melbourne Spectacle

The Boxing Day fixture between Australia and England was an abstract version of cricket, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in abstract form.

Let's be clear, this isn't a justification of the wicket which resulted in a victory and the another short match of the contest.

Allowing excessive grass on the wicket, resulting in numerous dismissals falling in less than a brief period, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.

A Varied History: The Essence of Test Cricket

But any suggestion this was a lesser event, one that should be qualified as inauthentic, is mistaken.

The format is a rich tapestry, a long history and still growing. On occasion, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the pace bowlers. Other times, it grips and turns on a dust bowl. Sometimes, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it bounces unevenly.

The thrillers are all the more thrilling owing to the time made in other matches.

Problem Solving: The Core Skill

Specific conditions are accepted more readily than others.

The contention in at the MCG was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the attack. That the best players were prevented from demonstrating their skill.

Test cricket is about finding solutions – assessing the conditions and adjusting accordingly. The two highest individual contributions were made by world-class batters. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: For Those Who Waited

Attempt to convince the supporters who have endured a long drought that this wasn't compelling.

Among the crowd of the ground, countless fans made noise and sang their songs, generating a festive mood in a bastion of sport.

There was optimism as the bowlers surged, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the victory was secured.

Contrasting Examples: The Variety of Test Matches

The Melbourne has previous experience with pitch problems. In the past, a match there featured a wicket with all the life of a a damp squib.

That fixture was a marathon, with few wickets and interminable tedium. The two-day game and that slow Test are extreme ends of the spectrum – both are not the standard, yet significance can be attached to them.

At this stage into the Ashes contest, it is the shortest games that will remain iconic in the history books.

"It's not the death of the format at all," observed a former player. "Spectators who have been lucky enough to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. Different entertainment."

Small Victories: Looking Ahead

In the build-up to this Test, the captain talked like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.

The squad delivered for him, reinstating the positive demeanor to his face.

Emerging talents delivered with crucial roles. These are small positives, not nearly enough to guarantee long-term futures, but a starting point to develop from.

Ultimately, this MCG win is added to other historic performances in meaningless games.

As the supporters left into a stunning sunset, the players gathered on the outfield to start their own festivities.

Savour the moment, men. It's well deserved.