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

In a showcase on the elevated floor of the MCG is housed a vibrant pink outfit donned by the pop star. The show in front of 100,024 attendees was hailed as a major hit.

It's possible you enjoy his music. Maybe you feel he is the greatest gift to music the world has ever seen. Or you could adopt a reasonable stance, conceding that some hits are excellent while others are terrible.

The point being is that enjoyment can be delivered diversely. Preferences differ. There is not a single method to craft art or even five-day cricket.

The Peerless Spectrum of Test Cricket

Test cricket boasts peerless complexity. It is hard to think of another sport where the contest is so reliant upon the environment.

The climate, the time of day, the ball – the list is endless. Crucially is the wicket.

If the format is a form of art, the pitch is the blank slate on which the cricketers paint their masterpiece.

A Broken-Down Battle: The Melbourne Spectacle

The recent Melbourne match between the two sides was the game deconstructed, the great game taken to pieces and reconstructed in a bizarre shape.

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

Having 10mm of grass on the pitch, resulting in 36 wickets being taken in less than two days, is not a balanced duel between batter and bowler.

A Rich Tapestry: The Nature of Test Cricket

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

The long game is a diverse canvas, a long history and ongoing. Sometimes, like in Melbourne, the ball does all sorts for the fast men. Sometimes, it spins sharply on a spinning track. At other venues, the pitch is flat as a pancake, other times it spits like a cobra.

The exciting finishes are even more exciting because of the patience committed in other matches.

Adjustment: The Real Challenge

Some factors are accepted more easily than others.

The contention in Melbourne was that the equilibrium was weighted unfairly towards the bowlers. That the skilled individuals were prevented from playing their natural game.

The format is about finding solutions – interpreting the situation and adjusting accordingly. The best individual scores were made by recognized stars. One team made more mistakes than the other, and thus lost.

Unbridled Joy: The Fan Perspective

Try telling the fans who have endured 18 winless matches that this was not entertaining.

In one section of the MCG, a sea of people waved their flags and sang their songs, producing a festive mood in a bastion of national pride.

There was hope as the fielding side excelled, impetus when players scored quickly, and pure joy when the win was achieved.

Extreme Ends: The Range of Test Matches

The venue has previous experience with controversial surfaces. Eight years ago, a game there featured a wicket with all the life of a pulled Christmas cracker.

That fixture was a marathon, with limited drama and slow play. This recent match and that previous match are polar opposites of the scale – both are not the standard, yet value can be ascribed to them.

Four Tests into the ongoing battle, it is the quick finishes that will live longest in the collective consciousness.

"This isn't the demise of the long game at all," observed a past champion. "Spectators who have been fortunate to see these short time have been experienced some genuine drama. A unique show."

Small Victories: Building for the Future

In the preparation to this match, the captain spoke like a man carrying the enormous pressure on his shoulders.

The players responded for him, bringing back the smile to his face.

Emerging talents performed with key contributions. These are incremental gains, certainly not enough to ensure long-term futures, but a starting point to build on.

In the end, this MCG win is added to other memorable performances in dead rubbers.

As the supporters left into a glorious Melbourne evening, the team gathered on the turf to start their own celebrations.

Celebrate the win, men. You've earned this one.